Improved car-brake



2 Sh C. Bl LASHAR. Veats bheet i Car Brake.

No. 3 Patented Dec. 24, 1861l llvll wg Witnesses: l my. fwd na nven lRM. PHDTD-YLITHK'LCD. N.Y. (USEURNE'S PROCESS) 2 sh C. B. LAS-HAR. BetsSheet 2 vCar Brake.

No. g 2 Patented Dec.-24, 1861.

Witnesses.

AM. PHOTO-LITHECD. N.Y (OSBDRNE'S PROCESS.)

of the car.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONRAD B. LASHAR, OF NFV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED CAR-BRAKE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,000, dated December24, i861.

`ings, in which- Figure l represents a vertical longitudinal section ofthe running gear of an' eightwheeled railroad-car with brakes embodyingmy improvements. Fig. 2 representsra plan of the same with certain partsof the framing removed. Fig. 3 represents an end elevation of the same,and Figs. 4 and 5 representa vertical longitudinal section and plan ofthe running-gear of a city-railroad car with a reversible body embodyinga substantial part of my invention.

The object of my invention is to render the pressure of thebrake-standard, which is now sustained by the frame-work of the car,available for the purpose of forcing the brakei shoes against therunning wheels; also, to render the brakes of the cars automatic intheir operation when the speed of the engine is slacked.

In cars constructed previous to my invention the brake-standard at theplatform at either end of the car is generally sustained by xedbracket-bearings, in which it turns, and which are made fast to theframe-work The pressure upon the lowermost of these bracket-bearings isequal to the sum of the force exerted in turning the brake- Wheel addedto the strain upon the brakechain upon the lower end of thebrake-standard, and as this pressure is sustained yby the car-frame itis unavailable for any useful purpose. The object of the rst part of myinvention is to render this hitherto useless pressure available for auseful purpose, and it consists in combining the bearing of thebrakestandard with the brake-shoesvby mechanism in such manner that thepressure exerted upon the bearing of the brake-standard is propagated tothe brake-shoes and made available in holding them in contact with therunning Wheels.

The object of the second part of my invention is to enable the brakemechanism of any car of a train to operate automatically and apply thebrakes whenever the speed of the nextpreceding car or carriage of thetrain is slacked. To this end this part of my invention consists incombining the brake mechanism of the car with a thrust-plate, whichprojects in advance of the bumper of the car, intervenes between thebumpers of the two adjacenttcars when the cars are coupledtogether, andis made available in applying the brake-shoes of the car to which itappertains Whenever that car surges toward the preceding car. By meansof this part of my invention the brake mechanism of the car is operatedautomatically by the bumper of the preceding car without the necessityof modifying the bumpers or draft or of connecting the brake mechanismwith them. The mode of operation of this part of my invention differsfrom preceding attempts to operate the brakes by the bumpers in this,that whereas in them the application of the brakes does not commenceuntil the bumpers are in contact unless a connecting-bar that does notadmit of play between the bumpers be employed it commences with mymechanism before the bumpers come in contact, even when aconnecting-link permitting play is used. My mechanismA also permits thebrakes to be operated by hand independently of the bumpers Without anyprevious disconnection of the mechanism from the bumpers and withoutinterfering with the automatic operation by the bumpers when the hand isnot used.

The object of the third part of my invention is to enable a thrust-plateof the preceding description to be applied to each end of a car and topermit but one only to act at a time, so that the brakes of a car may beoperated automatically by the bumper of the preceding car whichever endof the car be run foremost, and that the succeeding car may notinterfere with this operation. This part of my invention consists incombining the brake mechanism of the car with two reversiblethrust-plates-one at each end thereof-and capable of being placed eitherin the line of motion of the bumpers or out of that line of motion, sothat the position of each thrustplate can be reversed when the car isrun in the opposite direction, the forward one being put in position tobe operated by the bumper ofthe adjacent car and-the hinder one being'thrown out of such position.

The running-gear of an eight-wheeled car (represented in theaccompanying drawings) embodies all parts of my invention. In it theeight wheels A A A are arranged in the usual manner in two sets, eachset appertaining to a truck, and the two trucks B B are connected withthe main frame of the car by means of of these brake-levers isperforated at its up'- per extremity to permit a rod "m to pass throughit. Each rod terminates at its outer end in an eye e, which is of toolarge a size to traverse the perforation of the truck-lever, and isconnected by a chain n with the lower end of the adjacent brake-standardH. The inner ends of the two rods mm are connected by a chain k. Theupper extremity of each truck-lever is passed through a slot in asliding bar L, which is supported in bearings that permit it to slideendwise parallel, or thereabout, with the line of draft of the car drawnfrom the center of one bumper to the center of the other. One of thesebars is located at one side of the line of the draft and the other atthe other side thereof, and the inner ends of the two are connected withthe opposite ends of the lever O, that is pivoted to the under side ofthe car-frame. The outer end of each of these sliding bars projectsbeyond the frame of the car and its projecting extremity is perforatedto receive and form a bearing for the lower extremity of thebrakestandard H appertaining to that end of the car. The outer end ofeach sliding bar prol. jects beyond this bearing, and is fitted with ahead P, tol which a reversible thrust-plate R is pivoted. This head isconstructed with a transverse slot, through which the reversiblethrust-plate protrudes, so that the latter l may either be turned downon its pivot into the horizontal position, in which it is shown incontinuous lines at Fig. 3, or be turned up into the position in whichit is drawn in dotted lines in said figure. In the former position itsprojecting end crosses the head of the bumper S of the car, so as tointervene between it and the bumper of the 'adjacent car when two arecoupled together. In the latter position the end of the thrust-plate isout of the line of motion of the bumpers. The upper end of thebrake-standard passes through v a bearing secured to the railing of theplatform, and is fitted with a brake-wheel T and ratchet-wheel. A pawlis also secured to the railing to prevent the brake-standard fromturning to unwind the brake-chain when the brake-shoes are to be held incontact with their respective wheels. Springs t' are provided to holdthe brake-shoes out of contact with the wheels when the brakes are notput in operation.

From the arrangement and combination above described it follows thatwhen either brake-wheel of the car is turned to apply the brakes, thewinding up of the brake-chain upon the lower end of the brake-standarddraws the nearer rod m throughthe perforation of the nearer truck-lever,and by causing the eye at the outer extremity of the farther rod m to.bear against the farther trucklever, moves that lever to apply thebrakeshoes of the farther truck to their respective wheels. As, however,the lower end of the brake-standard thus operated is sustained by thesliding bar L, which forms the lower bearing thereof, the pressure atthe lower end of the brake-standard caused by pulling the rod m ispropagated by the sliding bar to the upper end of the nearer truck-leverf, and this lever is correspondingly moved to apply the brake-shoes ofthe nearer truck to their respective wheels. Thus it happens that whilethe brake-shoes of one truck are operated by the direct pull of thebrake-chain the pressure at the bearing of the brake-standard is madeavailable to operate the brake-shoes of the other truck, in place ofbeing expended for no useful purpose against the car-frame, as it iswhen the lower bearing of the brakestandard is 'fixed in the usualmanner.

When the brakes are to be operated automatically, the forwardthrust-plate of each car is turned down, as represented at the lefthandends of Figs. l and 2, when the cars are coupled together, the hinderthrust-plate being turned up, as represented at right-hand ends of Figs.1 and 2.V The forward thrustplate then intervenes between the bumpers ofthe two adjacent cars, so that whenever the speed of a forward car isslacked and a hinder car surges forward by its momentum toward thepreceding car the forward thrust-plate of such hinder car, bearingagainst the bumper of the preceding car, is prevented from being carriedforward by the surging of its car, and is caused to move the forwardslide-bar, to which it is secured, and by it to operate the nearertruck-lever that is engaged in the mortise of that slide-bar. Thepressure upon the forward slide-bar is propagated through the lever O tothe hinder slide-bar, which is thus caused to move and operate the othertrucklever, so that the brake-shoes of both trucks are appliedautomatically. This capacity of the mechanism for the automaticoperation of the brakes does not prevent their operation by hand,because the brake mechanism is not connected with the bumpers ordraftbars, and because there is sufcient space intervening between thethrust-plate and the bumper of the car to which it appertains to permitthat thrust-plate to be moved sufficiently by the brake-standard toapply the brakes before it comes-in contact with the bumper. If thetrain is to be backed, the thrust-plates must first be turned up, so asto prevent the application of the brakes by the pressure of the bumpers.

In the brake mechanism thus described the arrangement is such that thetruck-lever of the farther truck is operated by the chain and that ofthe nearer :truck by the sliding bar; but by changing the arrangement ofthe parts the truck-lever of the nearer truck may be operated by thechain and that of the farther by the sliding bar, if such an arrangementbe desired.

An example of an application of the rst part of /my invention to ahorse-car, with a reversible body for city railroads, is represented atFigs. 4 and 5. In such cars the brake-standard is usually a lever whoseupper end extends upward sufficiently to be within the control of thedriver, and whose lower end is pressed against the forward brake-beam ofthe running-gear, and as the lever is carried by the body its lower endis transferred from one brake-beam to the other, when Athe body isreversed end for end by turning it half-round on its pivot on therunning-gear. In such cars the fulcrum-pivot of the brake-standard isusually carried by a bracket-bearing iixed to the car-body, and thepressure upon that bearing` is not made available for any usefulpurpose. Although aleverbrake standard may be used with advantage inapplying my invention to such a car, I prefer to use a turningbrake-standard, as represented at Figs. 4 and 5. In this example thebrakebeams d d are vconnected by rods g g with a pair of upright leversff', that are supported beneath the central beam of the truck. The upperends of these truck-levers ff project upward on each side of the pivotof the carbody and enter apair of concentric rin g-plates w whichsurround that pivot. These ringplates are connected with bars y z, thatslide endwise in guides secured to the frame of the car-body and turnwith it when it is reversed upon the truck. The front end of one ofthese sliding bars y forms the lower bearing of the brake-standard H.The other z is connected with the brake-standard by a chain fn. Theupper end of the brake-standard is supported within convenient reach ofthe drivers hand by a bracket-bearing o, secured to the carbody. Thebrake-beams are fitted with springs vl t', which press the brake-shoesfrom the wheels and hold them out of contact until force is applied tothe brake-standard. From this combination of parts it results that solong as the brake-standard is not turned the two ring-plates remainconcentric, and the brake-shoes do not bear against the wheels. Vhen,however, the brake-standard is turned and the chain is wound upon itslower end, the strain upon the chain draws the lower ring-plate sotoward the front end of the car,

and it, acting upon the hinder truck-lever f, draws the hinder.brake-shoes against their respective wheels, while at the same time thepressure of brake-standard in its lower bearing pushes the upperring-plate fw backward,

and it, acting upon the forward truck-lever f, pushes the forwardbrake-shoes against their respective wheels. Hence in this coinbinationthe pressure at the bearing of the brake-standard is propagated to thebrakes and made available in holding them in contact with the runningwheels. When the brake-standard is permitted to unwind the chain n, theforce of the springs at the brakebeams moves the brake-shoes back fromtheir wheels and restores the ring-plates to their concentric positions.The car-body can then be turned end for end on its pivot, carrying thebrake-standard and ring-plates, without affecting the truck-levers f f;but in this new position of the car-body the truck-lever f becomes theforward truck-lever, and is operated by the lower turning plate, whilethe other truck-lever f becomes the hinder truck-lever, and is operatedby the upper turning plate, and the brakes are applied as before byturning the brake-standard, and thereby moving the two ring-plates overeach other-the lower one toward the end of the car at which thebrake-standard is located and the upper from that end of the car.

Another example of an application of the first part of my invention isrepresented at Figs. 6 and 7 ,which represent a plan andlongitudinalsection of the running-gear of a fourwheeled car for two horses, such asis used on city railroads. Certain parts of the framework in Fig. G areremoved to show the mechanism more clearly, and the sectional view, Fig.7, is made at the line oc of Fig. 6. In this example each pair ofbrake-shoes c c c c is connected by a brake-beam d, and two brake-leversffvare used, one of them being located at each extremity of thecar-frame. Each of these brakelevers is pivoted at its center to asliding bar L, which is suspended in bearings s s beneath the car-frame,and is connected at its inner end with the adjacent brake-beam d. One ofthe extremities of each brake-lever is pivoted to a slide t, whichslides in a box a, secured to the car-frame, and is perforated at itsouter end to form a bearing for the lower extremity of a turningbrake-standard H. The slide t has a lugo at its inner end, which isperforated to receive one end of a brake-rod m, which extends to theopposite end of the car through the perforation of the lug of the slidethereat. Each extremity of this brake-rod which passes through the lugof the slide t is formed into an eye and connected with a chain n, whichis secured to the lower end of the adjacent brakestandard II. The end ofeach brakelever which is farthest from the slidetis connected bya rod gwith a lug w, secured to the sliding bar L, that appertains to theopposite lever. The end of the rod passes through the lug and is formedinto an eye, soythat it cannnot pull ont.

` Vhen either oneof theVbrake-standards ofv this car is turned, thechain isxwoundnpon it and the standard end of the oppositel brake#'l'ever `is` drawntoward Athe brake-standard; whichl is turned.As'the'brake-lever 'piVJl otedat'its center to oneslideba'r L and isconnected` at its end er'withltheother slide-A bar, the drawing of ittoward the farther brake-standard byfthe chain and rod'forces the oneslidefbar toward its adjacent pair' ofv Wheels and draws the`other'slide-bar towardf the pair of Wheels a'djacentthereto', therebymoving the twojbrakefbeams and bringingall' the brake-.shoes intooperation 4;'A but While the brakes are thusy borne against s the Wheelsby the' aotionvofth'e brake-leierifarthest from the brake-standardthat'is turned the brakelever appertaining to. thatl standard is `oper-iated by the strain'of the brake-*standard against its bearingin theslide t, andthe strain thus applied is propagated throngh they adjacentslide-bm*l directlyto the adjacent -brakebeam and indirectly through throd 'g andjfaartherside-bar to the farther brake beam, sojthaty thestrain'at vthe, lower bearing' of the brakestandard is made V'available'in' forcing the brake-shoes against their wheels.I Tlieabove-describedexainples'are sufficient to show that my invention is not confined toany peculiar construction of the brake mech- 'anisin, and that its'mo'deof application may be' Varied to suit partioiilar cases.

What I claim 'as my invention, and desire to seciire by Lettersllatent.'is; f

v1. The combination of the bearing of the brake-standard Witlifth'eAbrakesh'o es' by'mechanism in such in anner that the pressure exertedupon'thefsaidibearing is propagated to the brakelshoes, substantially asdescribed. '2. The combination of the brake mechansrn of 'a car withathrust-plate that projects inadvance of thebumjer-o'ffthe car andinteryenes lmtween."it and the bumper of the adjacent'c'ar when the'carsare coupled together, substantially as set forth'.

3. The 'combinationof the'brake mechanism of `"a car' with tworeversible thrust-plates,

'eachfcapable of being'placed either inthe line of motionofthe bumper orout of that line of motion',` substantially as setfforth;

" In testimony whereof Ifhave hereunto subscribed niy naine on this 18thld'ayof May,

,COKNBaDn LAsHVAR. Witnesses:

GEO; S. GooDALn,

L.A BENNEND'.

